Alerts

2011

New York, April 4, 2011--The Bahraini government continued its attempts at muzzling critical media with the Ministry of Information ordering the country's premier independent daily temporarily shut down on Sunday. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Bahraini government's strong-arm tactics, which effectively forced a change in a prominent paper's editorial management. In Libya, Iraq, and Yemen, independent and critical media continue to be targets for government intimidation and harassment, CPJ research found.

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New York, April 4,
2011--The disappearance of internationally renowned artist and commentator
Ai Weiwei is a disturbing indicator of the extent of the government's onslaught
against its critics, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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New York, April 1, 2011--Al-Jazeera said today that Libyan
authorities re-arrested four of its journalists just hours after they had been released. A Syrian journalist who spoke critically of Libyan government
policies was also reported in state custody. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the
ongoing attacks on the press in Libya,
and calls on authorities to immediately release all journalists in custody.

New York, April 1,
2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Kazakh authorities today
to immediately investigate the whereabouts of Daniyar Moldashev, director of ADP
Ltd, publisher of the independent Almaty newspaper Respublika.

Colleagues said Thursday that Moldashev had disappeared,
days after being assaulted and shortly before the country's presidential
election.

"We are gravely concerned about the health and well-being of Daniyar Moldashev and call on Kazakh authorities to positively determine his whereabouts and ensure his safety," CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said.

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New York, April 1, 2011--Journalists in Somalia are getting caught in the crossfire of increased
fighting betweenjoint government and African Union forces against
Al-Shabaab insurgents, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

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New York, April 1,
2011--Using a vague criminal code provision allowing authorities to detain individuals
deemed a threat to public order, a provincial governor in Cameroon threw a
journalist in prison on Wednesday for inquiring about the arrests of two employees
of a state-run palm oil company, according to local journalists.

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New York, April 1, 2011--Security agents of the semi-autonomous government of Southern Sudan
confiscated 2,500 copies of the independent biweekly newspaper, The Juba
Post, on Wednesday, according to Chief Editor Michael Koma.

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New York, March 31,
2011--Hamas security forces
assaulted and obstructed journalists trying to cover protests in Gaza on Wednesday,
according to news reports and CPJ
interviews. The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the assaults and
calls on the authorities in Gaza
to end the harassment of journalists reporting from demonstrations.

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New York, March 31, 2011--The critical Ecuadoran daily El
Universo, three of its executives, and its opinion editor could face jail time
and hefty fines in a defamation complaint filed by President Rafael Correa last
week. Correa should immediately drop the defamation suit and bring the
country's press law into compliance with international standards on freedom of
expression, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.